Delicious

Fawn and white Indian Runner ducks
living at MuRefuge, March, 2011.

Delicious and nutritious are duck eggs which I have preferred for years since I am "allergic" to chicken eggs. Soon after acquiring the 3/4 acres which we named MuRefuge I got baby ducks. Dwight built an enclosure for them to BE in at night protected from all the predators lurking about at night. I chose Indian Runners because they are the best egg layers of all duck breeds, usually providing an egg daily.

Almost every week after we have shopped at the Sunday Farmers Market we stop by our friend Ruby's house and pick up a dozen or two of her delicious, nutritious duck eggs from her Indian Runner ducks who are "friendly, docile and active ducks". They are low maintenance foragers who at MuRefuge completely cleared out the slug and snail population.

The most recent "treasures"
from Ruby are pictured above.

Now that I have begun this post ostensibly about "duck eggs" I find myself reminiscing about ducks . . . specifically ducks I raised at MuRefuge. So please indulge me as I reminisce and walk down "memory lane" sharing duck pictures from those wonderful 24+ years.

April, 2011,
 baby Blue Indian Runners
at MuRefuge in their large
cardboard box located in the garage
with a heat lamp for warmth.

Now three weeks old 
and brought out to a safe enclosure in
the veggie garden
where there was an abundance of clover
and bugs.

Growing

July 21, 2012

Out and about with their big sisters 
at MuRefuge.

April 06, 2015
MuRefuge
Fawn and White Indian Runner youngsters.

Indian Runner do enjoy the water! At MuRefuge we
sunk a bathtub in the ground for their enjoyment.
Cleaning the bathtub monthly was necessary
to keep it and the ducks clean.

Ruby has a "kiddy pool" which she can just dump over and wash out. A bit easier and MUCH less time consuming the cleaning the bathtub!

March 19, 2017, MuRefuge:
Fawn and White Indian Runner ducklings
whose favorite spot when I picked
them up was snuggled against my neck.
Precious. 

The flock we took to Ruby's
for love and care
when we moved from MuRefuge to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This picture was featured in 
the flyer when our house and property
were put on the market.

Ruby now has only fawn and white Indian Runners. She is so gracious to give us duck eggs weekly. I am filled with gratitude! And I often visit her to get my "duck fix". 

The Indian Runner originally came from Asia where they kept the rice fields free of pests. They arrived in Europe in the 1850s. Prince Charles has Indian Runners ducks he has ordered from a hatchery in Mason City, Iowa, which is near where my maternal grandparents lived.

We had chairs out in the area patrolled by our ducks. One could sit for hours watching them. When my mother came to visit, she enjoyed this pastime.  Our "Penguin" shaped ducks provided us with many happy hours observing these slender upright ducks meander around our orchard and garden. They offered soothing for any possible upsets.

I so miss having these awesome critters! The only remedy is to

Delightful

Recently I visited Ruby and James's almost three acre property and home. Unfortunately Sage was not available since James was making a lot of racket in his space.

Sage went to live here just
down the road from
MuRefuge when we
moved to Santa Fe, NM.
Here he has lots of space for his avid hunting.
However, now that he is in his
senior years mostly he lounges
in a cozy chair on which there
is a heating pad during the Winter.
He has a good life here! AND 
has had a good long life as he nears 20.

One adult (in the far back left)
with five five week old Indian Runner ducks.
So sorry this is picture is so dark but
as I approached to take the picture
their surrogate mom lead them to a safe corner.

I love going to visit here! There is a real menagerie of animals all of whom come to greet you, even the Desert Tortoise who lumbers right up to you! He's huge and quite the stunning BEing.

The dog in the middle is named Moishe.
Rosco follows him everywhere!

Rosco, an Anatolian Shepherd
from Salmon Creek Ranch, is getting big. 
It is hard to remember
he is only five months old.
He and his family are off to
puppy school this weekend.

The specific reason for this particular visit was to pick some Arkansas Black apples (pictured below) to make apple crisp.

These apples are one of my all time favorites for apple crisp. In a few weeks I will return to pick more of the delicious apples to make an abundance of crisp to store in our freezer. And I plan to take one  of these crisps with us when we take a sojourn down the peninsula to Courtney's for a visit and lunch. Since whip cream is one of Courtney's basic food groups, along with chocolate, we will have the crisp topped with whip cream m-m-m-m I can hardly wait!

So wonderful to visit and see all the animals plus have a wonderful visit with Ruby. I even got to briefly chat with James which is a first since our return to California. Of course, while thoroughly enjoying this delightful space I engaged frequently in a good

Stewardship of Native Ecology

To be of the Earth is to know

The restlessness of being a seed

The darkness of being planted

The struggle toward the light

The pain of growth into the light

The joy of bursting and bearing fruit

The love of being food for someone

The scattering of your seeds

The decay of the seasons

The mystery of death

The miracle of birth.    

John Soos

MuRefuge is an extraordinary merging of Permaculture concepts and native ecology. MuRefuge, she reflects the healing and learning of her original steward. The land possesses good Feng Shui due to her natural topography, ancient knowledge, and demonstrates remarkable adaptability.

My husband and I bought this West Sonoma County rural residential property in December, 1992, when we had been in relationship for just over four years. I was in ill health and Dwight was commuting to the Financial District in San Francisco. MuRefuge is 50 miles North of the Golden Gate Bridge. The house was move-in ready but the land had been scraped and begged for care.

"Sparkling New, Elegant Country Home"
was the caption on the advertisement of the home we bought.
Notice the utility lines coming to the house.
These were in violation of the neighborhood agreement
so the previous owner (and builder) put them underground
prior to our closing escrow .

The Fall before purchasing MuRefuge we acquired a Siberian Husky puppy and her two year old sister, a Black and Tan Hound/Chocolate Labrador mix. We moved three miles as the crow flies South to MuRefuge that lays just North of the "Petaluma Wind Gap." And we began our process of BE-ing Rooted.

Both of us, having spent more time here at MuRefuge than either of us have lived in one place previously, find we are being nudged to begin a new chapter of our lives. We are grateful for the time with MuRefuge, learning from the land and all the creatures smallest and large who also call MuRefuge "home" or those just passing through. Old souls have come to share their lives with us; presently Sage, the resident cat, 

Sage beneath ‘Skylark’ (Ceanothus thysiflorus)) with Purple Needlegrass in the left of the picture.

and one of the Tootsie Rolls, a 2 year old female Indian Runner duck. Old Soul Tootsie Roll is part of the resident flock of 7 female Indian Runner ducks that provide fresh, delicious eggs as well as fertilize the orchard and keep the snails and slugs in check.

In the far back of this picture are the two newest additions
of this small flock of female Indian Runner ducks, BE BES,
and in the foreground on the left are the two Tootsie Rolls,
the old soul the one with her head in the water bowl
and on their way to the pond, a sunken antique bathtub,
are Ms. Crone, Coco and Ms. Blue (from left to right).

Both the resident cat, Sage, and the Indian Runner flock will be remaining at MuRefuge with the next steward(s).

EVOLUTION of 3/4 acre we call MuRefuge (1992 to 2017):

HOUSE

• 2001 Slate to floor of utility "closet" housing washer and dryer and to Master bathroom, carpet in Master bedroom and walk in closet replaced with red oak flooring, door to Great Room from garage moved to inside entryway
• 2003 Slate to front outside entryway and path created with same. inside house painted
• 2011 New furnace with air filtering for entire house with all new ducts, entire house siding replaced with "Hardee" plank and painted, Miele dishwasher for kitchen with removal of microwave and installation of Typhoon Range Hood, mirror "back splash" behind newly installed G.E. Range, red oak floors replaced carpet in remaining 2 bedrooms with metal blinds replaced with wooden Hunter Douglas blinds and same blinds installed in Library by Blindingly Clean, owner: Ernie Martin.
• 2014 New Craftsman garage door opener installed by Michael Libby, 707-546-7954.
• 2015 Japanese Takagi gas tankless hot water heater replacing traditional hot water heater. "bird tape" applied to windows to reduce bird collision.
• 2016 septic pumped. all underground tanks resealed by Al & Eric of Analy Septic, 707-823-7340; kitchen cabinets refinished with Poland pottery pulls and installation of new 40 year, high dimensional composition shingles by Elk roof and 6" fascia seamless gutters, additional downspouts   
• 2017 new smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

LAND

The healing of the scraped, unhealthy land towards a vibrant native ecology and certified Wildlife Habitat was informed by, but not limited to:

• Introduction to Permaculture. (1991). Bill Mollison with Reny Mia Slay.

Summer, 1993, swales dug to catch and retain the rainfall
to replenish the underground water.

Fall, 1993 trees planted to provide wind breaks.

Spring, 1994, herb spiral outside of the Great Room sliding door.

• Gardening with a Wild Heart: Restoring California's Native Landscape at Home (1999). Judith Larner Lowry
• The Landscaping Ideas of Jays: a Natural History of the Backyard Restoration Garden. (2007) Judith Larner Lowry.
• Designing California Native Gardens: the Plant Community Approach to Artful,Ecological Gardens. (2007). Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook.

June, 2012, Native Twinberry Honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata)
 flourishing in riparian community along MuRefuge's South property line. 

• Bringing Nature Home. (2007). Douglas W. Tallamy.
• The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times. (2010).  Carol Deppe.

October, 2016
Two of the Three Sisters (beans, corn, squash):
Hopi Blue Flour corn and Sweet Meat squash.

With the cool marine influence here at MuRefuge seeds do not readily germinate in the 13 raised (gopher proof) beds. Thus early on Dwight built a greenhouse, and later enlarged, to enable seeds to be germinated in a warm environment provided by an adjustable temperature "heat mattress".

The number of different kinds of birds that visit MuRefuge in a full cycle of the Seasons has gone from a mere 19 the first year to now over 125. The absence of any native plant species in 1992 to an extensive array presently is the likely explanation for this increase. The plant list may be accessed by clicking here. 

The diversity of MuRefuge's wildlife may be viewed by clicking here.

This picture of California Flannelbush ‘San Gabriel’ (Fremontodendr on californicum)
was taken in April, 2014. It is the bush in the lower left of the picture below.

August, 2017 

Anyone interested in purchasing and becoming the next stewards of MuRefuge
please contact:

Tim Johnson 

Coldwell Banker
Cellular: 707-477-2510 

BRE License # 00860167

johnson2@sonic.net


As I have done during all these years of MuRefuge's stewardship, may we all

Spring Beauty and Unexpected Gifts

Comfrey beginning to bloom beneath the peach and apple trees
on MuRefuge's septic mound.

Teach your children

what we have taught our children-

that the earth is our mother.

Whatever befalls the earth

befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.

If men spit upon the ground,

they spit upon themselves.

This we know.

The earth does not belong to us,

we belong to the earth.

This we know.

All things are connected

like the blood which unites one family.

All things are connected.

Whatever befalls the earth

befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.

We did not weave the web of life,

We are merely a strand in it.

Whatever we do to the web,

we do to ourselves . . .

Chief Seattle

Blooming Service Berry or June Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

This Tuesday past the BE BEs were 6 weeks old. The natural tendency to flock has replace the earlier imprinting of human. Within their enclosure that protects them from predation, they follow their "big sisters" along the chicken wire AND if the adult ducks forage too widely, they raise a noisy ruckus until the rest of their flock returns. 

The Tootsie Rolls are in the background
and the BE BEs are the foreground
as they move in tandem along opposite
side of the chickenwire.

It has been interesting to watch the strong bond of connection develop. The older ducks now forage closer to the BE BEs and when they are at rest they choose to do so near the youngsters.

In the background near the duckhouse
you can see the BE BEs standing erect
against their  chickenwire enclosure.
 Ms. Blue (far left), Coco, Ms Crone stands in front
of the Tootsie Rolls.

This Spring with the record breaking rain that has fallen the native plants here at MuRefuge have burst forth in Spring beauty as not previously seen. The Serviceberries are just lush with flowers. Perhaps an abundance of berries will indeed be forthcoming.

The native Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) with their gorgeous purple flowers are absolutely stunning against the bright green leaves. As I let the Spring beauty seep into my pores, soothing occurs for the despondency that has surfaced since our neighbors have brought to their 3/4 acre a humungous motorhome which can barely negotiate the curve in our gravel road. While I focus on soil regeneration to decrease the impact of greenhouse gases, I am hit with the realization that this motorhome's negative impact on Mother Earth far outweighs the meager, positive effects of my hard labor and the carbon sequestering happening here at MuRefuge.

An incredibly unexpected gift, however, has been bestowed upon MuRefuge,, in the form of an energetic, bright, hard working, homeschooled older teenager who has agreed to assist with the care of MuRefuge working every Monday afternoon for four hours. He came to work here through an unlikely connection: an employee of the Hessel Church which heretofore has been "a thorn in my side" so to speak with their huge asphalt parking lot, use of Roundup, and general practices of harming Mother Earth. The employee "befriended" me a very kind and heartful way one day when Shasta and I were walking past the church. A hard learned lesson which is so essential for the times: we all need to communicate with one another and listen to one another to heal the contentiousness that is so prevalent right now from the politicians in Washington, D.C. to our neighbors.

As we not only recognize but express gratitude for the Spring beauty and unexpected gifts in our lives, may we

Broody Duck and Other's Wild Nature

This morning when I went out to release the five Indian Runner ducks
from their house and to gather eggs,
this arrangement of eggs in one of the nesting boxes
is what greeted when I lifted the lid on the side of the duckhouse.

One of the Tootsie Rolls, the smallest in size, has been broody for the past couple of months. She often arranges the 2 wooden eggs and the eggs laid by herself and her sisters in one of the nesting boxes. She only sits on the eggs while in the duckhouse and spends her days foraging with her sisters. Indian Runner ducks are not known for their ability to sit on eggs until they have hatched. Although, there was one in a past flock who did so but unfortunately outside of the duckhouse, so just as the first eggs were almost finished their incubation, a night time marauder had her for a meal. 

Welcoming and accepting the creatures and their life cycle as an integral part of MuRefuge and her vibrant web is sometimes trying, as with the gophers mentioned in a previous post. However, the rewards of doing so offers such an array of "wild nature" behaviors which adds  to the wholeness of the landscape of which we are the present stewards.

For months now we have had a male Western Bluebird pecking at the windows that reflect his image. At first I thought he was protecting his family’s nest. However, the behavior has continued long after the eggs have hatched and his offspring have fledged. A few evenings past while lounging in the bath and looking out the window, I could see sitting in the bare branches of the dead curly willow Mom and Pop and two beautiful youngsters. In the dead curly willow just to the East of our East most fence is one of the many bluebird boxes Dwight has built and installed. This particular box must be this bird family’s home. Many Bluebirds used to nest in the many apple trees to our South which were all cut down a few years after we began putting down roots here. Given the loss of old trees in which to nest, we find each year the bluebird boxes are often used by these gorgeous birds.

Native Twinberry Honeysuckle ((Lonicera involucrata).
Not surprising a family of Bluebirds has claimed MuRefuge as
their territory with the abundance of food for their taking.
We have watched Mom and/or Pop feeding one berry at a time to their offspring.

As some of you have read in previous posts, bird tape has been installed on most of the windows to decrease bird collisions. The two windows where the male Bluebird first pecked, the windows were recently reinforced with additional bird tape which over the few weeks has minimized his pecking at his reflection since there is little window pane for him to see himself in. Alas, he has moved to other windows which have a bit more glass for his reflection to be seen. Wild territorial behavior in the winged who has claimed MuRefuge as his territory is a wonder to behold.

Flowering native Wild Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula)
which also has berries for the birds to eat.

With the El Nino rains of Spring passed the native bushes and vines have put on a stunning display of flowers this year. Natives to this area seem to be familiar with years of drought and years of an abundance of rain. With the former, plants of all sizes seem to sequester their energy, providing an abundance of seeds for reproduction/survival of their species. With the recent Spring rains the flowers on the perennial bushes, vines and trees have been exceptionally spectacular this Spring, and now the cycle turns to Summer.

The rising sun shining on flowering Cream Bush, aka Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor),
which provides nectar for native pollinators.

As we observe Wild Nature all around us during the turning of season, may we each 

Respectful

A recent Sunday past, as Shasta and I usually do, we were walking on the West County Trail in Sebastopol. And as often happens, others walking their dog(s) stop for our 4leggeds to greet one another. Shasta exuberantly greets humans; however her greeting other dogs varies. One of the dog owners made the comment watching Shasta meeting up with her dogs, “she is so respectful.” That term “respectful” is not a familiar description to me of Shasta, but upon further mulling I can see how this dog owner came up with this word to describe Shasta. 

“The essence of life shall never be known by a human being as long as that person seeks 

to observe life like viewer and subject. The absolutely essential nature of life 

can only be comprehended by merging fully with the flow of life, 

so that one is utterly a part of it.” 

365 Tao: Daily Meditations, “Essence”, Deng Ming-Dao (1992).

Being respectful of others and their gifts, in spite of our individual “point of view” from which we may not understand the other, is part of the “flow of life.”  In the past I was not only skeptical but downright disdainful of one who claimed dowsing abilities until I met and studied albeit briefly with Desda Zuckerman.

Immersion in  her teachings and practicing her lessons, I came to realize some of my own abilities of sensing subtle energy. In my searching for a tool, since the one suggested by Desda did not seem to work for me, I remembered the rutilated quartz crystal that my now dead brother sent to me. I attached it to a chain and began using that as my tool with which to connect with energy of the subtle nature.

Rutilated quartz 

“is a clear crystal that contains rutile fibers that have a golden or reddish color. 

These fibers add even more intensity and transmission power to the crystal 

because they bear cross currents of electrical charges that amplify healing . . .”

Healing with Crystals and Gemstones, Daya Sarai Chrocron (1988)

This is the reason my brother sent the crystal to me

when I was healing from the autoimmune disease in my forties. 

This simple yet powerful tool works for me and I use it in in a variety of situations depending where and when I wish to BE more in touch with this powerful, yet often denied by our culture, subtle energy source surrounding us all. 

When I am preparing flower essence for myself or another BEing, I use the crystal pictured above. The crystal indicates by the direction of circulation a “yes” or “no” which is agreed upon by the user and the crystal, or whatever tool is employed, during the “bonding” of tool and user. Once an essence preparation is chosen and completely mixed for those BEings who have sought a remedy, maybe or maybe not then I might check out what is written in Flower Essence Repertory, Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz (1994) about the flower essence(s) indicated using the crystal. If I do so, I am often surprised but respectful of the constituents of the preparation. However, once the remedy is used by the BEing for whom it was created, the feedback is positive.

One woman who sought support for the transition of her recently adopted dog who had a traumatic journey arriving at her now “forever home” called the flower preparation mixed especially for her dog a “magic potion.”

In the background and immediate foreground is 

“flowering” Nodding Needlegrass (Nassella cernua)

and the fairy like blooming plant is 

Blue eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum).

Flower essence offers living BEings support and opportunity for transition. Many of you have heard of and perhaps used Rescue Remedy, aka Five Flower, to ameliorate shock. I use this in spray form when I transplant seedlings to minimize transplant shock. The Flower Essence Society In Nevada City, California has built upon the original research done in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician. This organization has expanding the number of flower essence available for adjusting, healing, shifting the life forces at play in any living BEing. 

MuRefuge’s Indian Runner duck flock: Coco the chocolate duck is in the far back, 

the two Tootsie Rolls are on either side with the yellow bills, 

in front is Miz Crone and behind her greenish yellow bill is Blue. 

When the Tootsie Rolls were introduced to the older ducks, 

the way of ducks was to put these two youngsters in their place in the flock.

 To soothe the transition a flower essence was used for several weeks. 

Just like different plants sequester different elements/nutrients, likewise different flowers possess the ability to shift different life forces. The flower essence offers a BEing support to shift or not. The living organism, if not ready to let go of stuck or cellularly embedded energy patterns, or comfortable and familiar ways of going about in the world, is totally unaffected by the flower essence. The flower essence is inherently respectful of any BEing’s choice.

Another way of checking in with the subtle energy surrounding everything is muscle testing. This simple connection with our muscles strength can be used for deciding whether a flower essence remedy/preparation is the one for you. 

“If you have ever seen applied kinesiology,you have experienced this tool for tapping into the subconscious mind and the energy fields surrounding the body. When something is true, the electric impulses in our muscles fire; when something is not true or doesn’t serve us, the electric field is weakened and so are our muscles. “

To use this technique “make an O-shape out of your thumb and forefinger. Do the same with the other hand, then interlock the two circles. Tug firmly on the little chain shape, not letting the circles break. State something true, such as ‘my name is [your name]’ and tug. Now state something false: ‘my name is Asparagus,’ and tug - your fingers will not be able to hold the chain.”

“This works whether you know the answer or not, as it is based on the integrity of the energy fields in and around your body.” 365 Green Practices for Sacred Connection: Living Earth Devotional, Clea Danaan (2013).

May each of us BE respectful of all BEings, small or large, as they journey on their individual life path and